Drug Interactions in Palliative Care

Excerpt

Drug-drug interactions (DDI) are a frequently encountered phenomenon in palliative care (PC) settings. To optimize management, clinicians should be aware of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the most commonly used drugs in this patient population. Based on a patient’s inherited alleles, age, sex, physiologic status, etc., pharmacotherapy will vary significantly from one patient to the next. Also, clinicians must be familiar with potential drug interactions. Several studies have elucidated the prevalence of DDI in palliative care from 31 to 75% across various health care settings. It is worth mentioning that palliative care medicine involves the concerted efforts of a multidisciplinary team to reduce disease burden for patients living with serious illnesses, whether provided concurrently with curative care or alone for comfort care.